We have no creeds and no doctrines, but we areunited by our belief in the worth and dignity of eachindividual and our commitment to working togetherto create a more just, humane, and peaceful world.

Ethical Culture is an ethicalapproach to life created by peoplewho are trying to deal with life’schallenges unencumbered by beliefsand doctrines that offend reason anddivide people into opposing camps.

What can we glean from the power of some to transcend jail and bring out the best? How can we apply these lessons to our own ethical action efforts, including reforming a prison system that destroys hopes and maximizes recidivism? Can we help society transform imprisonment?

Aaron Merki, Executive Director of FreeState Legal Project, will explain FreeState’s work, give a sense of Maryland’s low-income LGBT population, and discuss the issues and work still remaining after marriage equality.

Join us for an excursion after platform to the Lewis Museum to see the Kinsey Collection, a special traveling exhibit that chronicles over 400 years of African American history and culture from the 1600s to the present.

Prior to the Renaissance, the dominant direction in European art was upward, towards the heavens, reaching for God. As Aristotelian influences turned cultural perspective back to the earth, human beings dominated the artist’s eye.

While socialists and anarchists might think the admission that “capitalism is not perfect” is the understatement of century, this is where Leader Hugh Taft-Morales begins his defense of some good things about capitalism.

This discussion will consider the ethical differences between punitive and unitive justice and the ways in which unitive justice is presently being implemented as an answer to the broken punitive system.

After last summer’s successful seated-yoga program, Hugh Taft-Morales will offer another supplemented with more personal insights into the benefits of increased harmony between the body and mind he attains through his modest yoga practice.

Almost all recovering addicts return to addiction within one year after successfully completing any number of recovery treatment programs. This unsolved problem is a result of our inability to agree on the nature of the problem.

Wondering why, in an age of increasing productivity, prosperity is lost, jobs disappear or move overseas, and we are competing with each other to work more hours for less? Concerned that your children have fewer opportunities than you did?

Ubuntu is an open source operating system developed on a collaborative/Wiki basis which makes an ideal replacement for Windows XP. I will explain how it works, what programs are available, and hope to have disks to give out.

Climate change is drawing increasing attention around the world, no longer only from climate scientists and activists, but also more unlikely sources like the Pentagon, which recently pronounced climate change a “severe threat” to national security.

Due to reactionary tough-on-crime politics and the over-criminalization of drug use, the U.S. penal population has grown from 300,000 to over 2 million over the past three decades. The retributive model of criminal justice is inhumane and ineffective.

West Baltimore stands out in the popular imagination as the quintessential “inner city” – gritty, run-down, and marred by drugs and gang violence. Prof. Alexander’s research focuses on children who grew up in west Baltimore neighborhoods.

Hugh Taft-Morales explores ways humanists could best approach the word “spiritual?” Does it threaten rationalism? Or, is it a term we should embrace? Can naturalistic forms of spirituality found in Spinoza, John Dewey, and Carl Sagan enliven humanism today?

Join Catherine Weber and Ellen Dinnerman as they discuss how a small group of volunteers and the national office of Compassion and Choices, DwD/AID is slowly moving towards an active campaign to bring a Death with Dignity law to Maryland.

Sharon Beischer Harwood will introduce us to Olive Dennis and remember her railroad legacy through the inventions, creative designs, work ethic, and the talent that made her ‘The Lady Engineer’ of the B&O Railroad.

Ellen Barfield will discuss the original intention of 11 November as a day to mourn the terrible bloodshed of World War I, and the frightening distortion of the day to “Veterans Day”, yet another official U.S. holiday to glorify war and militarism, and thereby facilitate subsequent wars.

Hugh Taft-Morales explores the waves of “righteous” social change that periodically wash over the United States and the possibility that there is a righteous humanist wave of compassion and activism on the horizon.

Leon Henry from Big Brothers Big Sisters will join us to discuss how mentoring not only helps youth reach their full potential, it also engages volunteers in the effort to create stronger, healthier, and more vibrant communities.

Does the concept of ‘spirituality’ or ‘living a spiritual life’ have any place in Ethical Culture? Science and reason are valued by humanists, and rightfully so. But does intellect negate spirituality, emotional values or that sense of “awe”?

Hugh Taft-Morales challenges himself and all humanists to deconstruct systemic racial privilege so we can all benefit from a more empowering multicultural perspective that honors the inherent worth of all.

Jaime DeMarco examines the current climate movement, addressing how we talk about climate change as well as how we can move past scientists and polar bears and begin speaking from a place of deep personal experience.

In this workshop on “racism and other isms,” explorations of the concept of race and other differences that divide will take place as workshop leader J. C. Faulk guides participants in working towards a more equitable and just society.

The UMB CURE Scholars Program is a groundbreaking program that prepares sixth- to 12th-grade students in Baltimore for competitive, lucrative, and rewarding research and health care careers at UMB and other health institutions in the region.

The judge will be talking about the work of the Court of Appeals and the changes in the Court’s jurisprudence, including the changes reflected in the Court as a result of President Obama’s seven successful nominations.

Public health policies at the federal, state and local levels can have a tremendous impact on community and individual health, yet those policies often threaten individual autonomy or property interests.

Enjoy readings by authors, talks with illustrators, cultural performances, an interactive storytelling workshop by a griot performer, and craft activities to include bookbinding demonstrations by local book artists.

Today we welcome our friends from the B’More Clubhouse – a nonprofit membership organization which assists adults with mental illness in leading meaningful and productive lives of their choice in the community.

In Sacred and Scared, Charles Shafer assumes a variety of quirky characters who have religious encounters of various sorts, including, a lovely but lonely young lady, a loudmouth know-it-all, and a rabbi/teacher/CEO along with Jesus and God himself.

Felix Adler, the founder of Ethical Culture, chose as his first lieutenant someone quite different from himself. John Lovejoy Elliott did not display the academic precision or vigor of his mentor Adler.

Come learn about growing our local Ethical Societies and effective ways of confronting systemic racism through the distinguishing characteristic of Ethical Culture: the nurturing of ethical relationships and conversations that lead to action.

For the first time in years, my travel scheduled allowed me to be in Baltimore for the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade. Even though my recent hip surgery made it hard to march, I was so glad I could cheer on our BES contingent.

Baltimore Ethical Society

The Baltimore Ethical Society is a humanistic religious fellowship. We focus on human lives and relationships and explore what it means to live ethically as individuals, family members, and participants in the larger community. We have no creeds and no doctrines, but we are united by our belief in the worth and dignity of each individual and our commitment to working together to create a more just, humane, and peaceful world.